On Texas, and battles lost.

Tonight, I weep for the women of my state. HB 2, a bill that will severely limit affordable access to places that handle our health issues, has passed, and will, in all likelihood, be quickly signed into law by Rick Perry, one of the worst governors the state has ever seen.

For those of you who are interested in the actual language of the bill, you can check out page 5 of this. And if you want to know who voted which way, and other information, check here.

 This is a terrible, terrible bill, one that will shut down the majority of affordable women's health clinics in the state, ones that not only provide abortions, but also provide pap smears, breast cancer checks, birth control, STI testing, and a whole host of other things that are necessary for the health and well-being of anyone with a female reproductive system.

It's also worth noting that the bill states that all clinics providing abortions have to be ambulatory surgical centers, and Rick Perry's sister just so happens to be the head of a company that owns several of that type of clinic, putting her in a perfect place to swoop in and take over in the abortion business, becoming the leading provider, and pricing anyone in a lower income bracket out of being able to easily obtain one when they need it.

I would suggest that, if you are as outraged and saddened by this travesty; and you live in Texas, you register to vote, remember this bill, and those who authored it and voted it in; when the time comes, vote accordingly. It could make all the difference in the world to your fellow Texans.

Black March

Thursday March 1st 2012 to Saturday March 31st 2012

With the continuing campaigns for internet-censoring litigation such as SOPA and PIPA, and the closure of sites like Megaupload under allegations of 'piracy' and 'conspiracy' the time has come to take a stand against music, film, and media companies' lobbyists.

The only way is to hit them where it hurts.
Their profit margins.

March 2012 is the end of the First Quarter in economic reports world wide.

Do not buy a single record. Do not download a single song, legally or illegally. Do not go to see a single film in cinemas, or download a copy. Do not buy a DVD in the stores. Do not buy a videogame. Do not buy a single book or magazine.

Wait the four weeks to buy them in April: see a film later, etc... Holding out for just four weeks, maximum, will leave a gaping hole in media companies profits for the first quarter, an economic hit which will in turn be observed by governments world wide as stocks and shares will blip from a large enough loss of incomes. This action will give a statement of intent:

"We will not tolerate the Media Industries' lobbying for legislation that will censor the internet."


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EDIT: Wikipedia has a list of companies that support or oppose SOPA and PIPA, if you wanted to be sure you're boycotting the right companies.